Riverside Brewing Company
Riverside, California, USA · Est. 1993
Tally's Take
Why this matters
A brewery documented through city council minutes and an SEC filing, which is an unusual pair. Riverside's council recorded Orange Empire Brewing Company seeking economic-development assistance in August 1993 to finish the Riverside Brewing Company restaurant at Seventh and Lime Streets. A 1997 SEC filing then names Orange Empire as its parent and describes two plants — a 5,000-barrel brewpub and a separate 35,000-barrel production brewery — with seven named Riverside brands. City records still list it in 2003, and local beer coverage calls it 'the former Riverside Brewing Company' by 2013. The closure falls somewhere in that decade and the archive does not narrow it further.
The Museum
Timeline
- 1993Council minutes record the project
August 1993; Orange Empire Brewing seeking assistance for the restaurant at Seventh and Lime.
- 1997SEC filing describes two plants
A 5,000-barrel brewpub and a separate 35,000-barrel production brewery, with seven Riverside brands.
- 2003Still listed in city records
By 2013 local coverage refers to it as the former Riverside Brewing Company.
The Beer Library
Beers
Golden Spike Pilsner
Year-RoundPilsner
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1009589/0000892569-97-000066.txt. 1997 SEC filing describes Golden Spike Pilsner as a European-style pilsner with Czech hop character. ABV remains UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Pullman Pale Ale
Year-RoundPale Ale
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1009589/0000892569-97-000066.txt. 1997 SEC filing describes Pullman Pale Ale as a deep-gold, pleasantly hopped ale with malty aroma. ABV remains UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Victoria Avenue Amber Ale
Year-RoundScottish-style Amber Ale
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1009589/0000892569-97-000066.txt. 1997 SEC filing describes Victoria Avenue Amber Ale as a deep amber Scottish ale made with English Goldings hops. ABV remains UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Raincross Cream Ale
Year-RoundCream Ale
California Pass 187. Aliases: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1009589/0000892569-97-000066.txt. 1997 SEC filing describes Raincross Cream Ale as gold-colored with a well-hopped aroma and flavor. ABV remains UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →7th Street Stout
Year-RoundStout
California Pass 187. Aliases: Seventh Street Stout. 1997 SEC filing describes 7th Street Stout as a deep-brown stout with a pleasant aftertaste. ABV remains UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →#119 Maybock
Year-RoundMaibock
California Pass 187. Aliases: 119 Maybock. 1997 SEC filing identifies #119 Maybock as a traditional malty maybock with slightly more hop flavor. ABV remains UNKNOWN.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →#119 Seasonal
Year-RoundSeasonal Beer / exact style unknown
California Pass 187. Aliases: Old 119 Saison may be a related seasonal identity; continuity not assumed. 1997 SEC filing lists #119 Seasonal but does not state its style. A 1996 beer-club listing separately documents Old 119 Saison; Pass 107 does not merge those names without direct brand-continuity proof.
Drank this? Add it to your passport →Show your working
Sources
- recordProbable
Brewery record taken from Tally's California master, Pass 187, which cited https://aquarius.riversideca.gov/clerkdb/DocView.aspx?dbid=0&id=22341&repo=Clerk for this entry. The cited page has not been opened by the archive.
Tally's California master, Pass 187 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19 - historyProbable
Dated evidence as recorded in California Pass 187: 1993, 1997, 2003.
Tally's California master, Pass 187 (research workbook) · Tally's Beer Universe research workbook · 2026
CommercialMedium reliabilityAccessed 2026-08-19Reviewed 2026-08-19
Only the claims above are sourced. Everything else on this page is the archive's own research and has not yet been tied to a document — which is worth knowing rather than hiding.
Straight answers
Common questions about Riverside Brewing Company
- Is Riverside Brewing Company still open?
- No. Riverside Brewing Company has closed. California Pass 187. City of Riverside council minutes from August 1993 document Orange Empire Brewing Company seeking economic-development assistance to complete the Riverside Brewing Company restaurant at Seventh and Lime Streets. A 1997 SEC filing identifies Orange Empire Brewing Company as Riverside Brewing Company's parent and documents both a 5,000-barrel brewpub and a separate 35,000-barrel production brewery in Riverside, with seven named Riverside beer brands. City records still list Riverside Brewing Company in 2003, while later 2013 local beer coverage refers to it as the former Riverside Brewing Company. Exact final closure date remains UNKNOWN. The 1993 founding year is supported by the city development record and a contemporary beer-club history placing the opening in August 1993.
- When was Riverside Brewing Company founded?
- Riverside Brewing Company was founded in 1993 in Riverside, California, USA.
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